Imaging and diffraction-based measurements are widely-used in nearly all areas of research. However, most current imaging systems are designed for specific table-top experiments, occupy large spaces, and require trained personnel for operation. Furthermore, most imaging systems today are designed to handle only one technique of microscopy, e.g., bright field imaging. In order to perform more than one optical analysis technique (i.e., illumination and measurement by multiple sources, such as, for example, white light illumination for bright field imaging and laser illumination for diffractometry), a user today must typically transport the user's sample from one imaging system to another imaging system. Unfortunately, each time a sample is positioned under a different imaging system, the sample must be re-positioned and re-aligned. Such positioning can be cumbersome and lead to inaccuracies. Finally, imaging equipment in use today is typically large and not portable.
A compact, portable system that can perform multi-technique imaging including bright field imaging and diffractometric analysis of sample chip surfaces can be extremely useful both in lab usage and point-of-care applications. Therefore, there exists a need for a system for performing optical imaging and diffraction measurements, analyze the associated data, store the raw data and the analyzed data, and display and communicate the analyzed data, all in one package that contains light-weight components and occupies a relatively small space, without the need of transporting the analyzed specimen from one experimental setup to another.